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Merritt leaves her mark at national meet ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia - Tiwana Merritt peaked at the right time. The Southern Oregon University junior sprinter from Valdez, Alaska, set a school record and a personal best time in finishing second in the 400 meters at the NAIA Track and Field Championships Saturday at Rotary Stadium. Merritt lowered her own school record by .47 seconds with a time of 55.11. She set the previous record (55.58) with a fifth place at the 1999 national championships. Merritt came into the national meet ranked 11th. "She ran a very, very smart race," Southern Oregon coach Mike Jones said. "Considering everything, it was a perfect race." Merritt used an explosive kick down the stretch to finish second to Sharline Maxwell of Briar Cliff College, Iowa, who won the race with a time of 53.69. "She caught two girls coming off the turn," said Jones. "She ran those girls down and leaned at the line to get second. It was a real thrill to watch." Unfortunately for Southern Oregon, Merritt was the only Raider athlete to achieve All-American status - a top six finish - on the final day of the three-day meet. The Southern Oregon women finished 18th with 181/2 points. Last year, the Raiders finished 14th in the team standings with fewer points. "The meet was more competitive than last year," said Jones. "Three out of the five women we brought here were All-Americans, and that's not bad." The Raider men experienced some disappointment with Jeff Bentley's seventh in the javelin and Nick Dunn's eighth in the 400 intermediate hurdles. Bentley, who achieved All-American status for Oregon Tech last year, posted a mark of 197 feet, 4 inches. His best this season was 200-7. Dunn, who entered the finals with the third-fastest time, made a costly mistake. The freshman from Medford was clocked at 53.51. "He had a miscue on the second hurdle," said Jones. "His steps were off, causing him to stutter. It was the first time I've seen him do it all year." Southern Oregon's men's 4x400 relay team got edged at the wire to finish seventh in a school-record 3:14.63. The team - Dunn, Danny Hanes, Cailen McNair and Eric McKenzie - set the previous school record (3:16.08) in the Cascade Conference championships May 5 at Oregon Tech. The Raiders lowered the relay mark by more than two seconds. "That's quite of chunk of time," said Jones. Southern Oregon's Sean Peterson finished 13th in the 1,500 (3:58.91). Former South Medford High runner Perry Custance, competing for Oregon Tech, finished one spot in front of Peterson at 3:58.89. The Raider men tallied six points, which tied them for 46th overall. "It's tough to get here," said Jones. "And once you get here, it's tough to be in the top six. I was very pleased with the way the athletes from Southern Oregon performed." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.